1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automated litter box systems of the type which automatically scoop animal waste and clumped waste litter into an odor-containing waste receptacle and to devices for use in conjunction with such systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
The invention of automated litter box systems that automatically scoop clumped waste litter into an odor-containing receptacle has greatly improved the quality of life for pets and their owners. These litter box systems, and the pets that use them, are cleaner and more sanitary with less effort required from the owners.
However, even automated litter box systems require periodic intervention and maintenance from pet owners. This is particularly true for the rake-type automated litter box system, where a sensor triggers a rake to sweep across the litter to remove waste after the pet has used the litter box. Owners must empty the waste receptacle before it reaches capacity or unsanitary conditions will develop. Also, for rake-type automated litter box systems, the owner must also clear waste stuck to the rake, scoop waste from the litter that is not able to be collected by the rake, and evenly redistribute litter in the box if the litter should collect in some areas and be absent in others, among other general maintenance tasks.
The present design of automated litter box systems, particularly the rake-type, allows for only a modest capacity for waste collection. The waste collection capacity can be approximated by the volume of a trapezoidal polyhedron whose sides are defined by the width of the automated litter box, the length of an aperture to allow waste to pass through, the length of a surface on which the collected waste will fall, and the height between the aperture and the waste collection surface. The dynamics of waste falling and piling up on to a surface create a maximum effective length of the waste collection surface. This maximum length is proportional to the height between the plane of the aperture and the plane of the waste collection surface. Currently available (i.e., prior art) automated litter box systems have the waste collection surface at or above the same plane as the bottom surface of the litter box. This fixes the maximum height between the plane of the waste collection surface and the plane of the aperture, limiting the total waste collection capacity. The waste collection capacity and the pet usage patterns of the litter box establish the frequency required of the owner to empty the waste receptacle to maintain sanitary conditions. The waste collection capacity limit of the currently available automated litter box systems unnecessarily increases the frequency of maintenance required of the owner. Automated litter box manufacturers sell containers designed to fit in this limited waste collection volume to contain a limited amount of pet waste.
Therefore, there exists a need for a method and apparatus for decreasing the amount of owner maintenance of automated litter box systems. This can be accomplished by increasing the waste collection volume of currently available automated litter box systems such as the automated litter box system described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,302, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference.